


Out in the Dark

by bekochan



Series: Malec and Family: Warm-ups [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Coping, Hope, M/M, Pre-Malec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 13:58:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10698450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bekochan/pseuds/bekochan
Summary: Alec gets a moment away from the chaos after the memory demon was summoned.





	Out in the Dark

Alec sat alone.   
It was no different than any other Friday night.   
But something was off.

He sat on the ledge of the bridge, cars zipping back and forth behind him. His feet dangled out over the water. He looked down past them into the teaming water. His eyes focusing on each tiny spray of white as the water crashed against itself. His brows furrowing at the display before him.

He did this every Friday night.   
It was not giving him the usual comfort. 

At the end of every week, pending demon attack of course, he would escape from the Institute and just sit there on the bridge. Glamoured from the Mundanes’ view, taking in the cool wet air and just breathing. The responsibilities and expectations from his family would build up during the week and Alec would take this time to let some of it go. 

He didn’t seem to be feeling the usual calm and relaxation and that only added to the frustrations. 

What’s different about it, he asked himself. He glanced around at the edge of the city on both sides of the river, trying to find something that was out of place. 

Nothing. 

Everything was the same.

Maybe that’s it. Maybe everything is the same. Maybe, I’m the one out of place, he thought. 

He ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. 

Of course it was him. It was always him that was wrong. Not right. Out of place. Everyone could sense it but never outright said anything. 

Except his father. He was always glad to be generous with criticism. Glad to point out that something was off with Alec. 

He wasn’t training hard enough, didn’t study enough, wasn’t bringing honor to the family. His father wasn’t happy that Jace was naturally better at pretty much everything. It boiled his blood that his own son wasn’t as good as his adopted son. Blood came before anything else, as he was so apt to point out to Alec when they were alone. 

“...I’m talking to you…” the jeweled finger with a black painted nail was pointing at him. At Alec. 

He called me pretty. 

Alec leaned his arms on the lower part of the rail and rested his chin on them. A grin snuck onto his lips which he started to hide at first but then realized he was fairly certain he was alone in a manner of speaking. So he grinned. A big goofy grin, his cheeks warming as a blush crept over his face. 

He called me pretty. 

Alec shook his head with disbelief. There was no way he really meant it, did he? He was ridiculously gorgeous, how could he say I was pretty? 

Alec sighed. He thought of that jeweled hand again, how warm it had been when they summoned the memory demon. The look on his face when that spark flew between them. Alec closed his eyes against the image of those eyes. Like he didn’t want to be caught staring into them. There was too much in his eyes, almost too much.

Then the demon. 

Alec groaned in embarrassment. He was mortified that everyone could see what memories were being taken. He didn’t want Jace to see that, and he certainly hadn’t wanted Him to see it. 

Him. 

Magnus.

“Magnus,” Alec whispered into the night air. He leaned back and looked up at the sky. He activated his sight rune and looked past the light pollution of the city to see the stars. He sighed again and he felt his shoulders start to relax. 

Magnus had seen the vision of Jace and he completely understood. 

There’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Alec knew that logically. But it was the first time he had heard it from someone other than his sister. It felt oddly good, knowing that someone else finally knew him.

He knew his parents didn’t want to know. He didn’t want Jace to know. Alec was pretty sure no one at the Institute but Izzy knew. Having Izzy know was great. He still had a bit of a guard up with her even though she knew. He spent all his time with his guard up so it was hard to let them down. 

Now someone else knew. 

Someone who thought he was pretty.   
Alec grinned again.


End file.
